THE FRESH & ONLYS

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“We make albums to be heard as albums,” says Tim Cohen. “We always toil over the sequencing and slight pauses.” House of Spirits, The Fresh & Onlys’ fifth album since 2008, testifies to their rigorous full-length approach. Their most adventurous outing yet, House of Spirits devotes its A-side to the character of dreams.

Teammates was formed in February 2012, when former drummer Adam Teirab left a band called Human Bear Trap. Following this departure, remaining members Alan Skamser-O’Neil, Brady Mielke, and Dan Kasper scrapped most of the project and focused all work on a few new songs instead. Lacking a drummer, they turned what was before a dominantly guitar-driven sound into one built from drum loops and synth experiments. Energy was low and tentative while the band transitioned, and the few shows they booked under the new name during this period would have been better off in someone else’s hands.